Teachers allow students to play games to reinforce multiplication skills.
Playing games in childhood is often what adults remember most about that special time in our lives. What we don't often think about is how games in an elementary school classroom can benefit students as they learn new skills. Teachers use math games in their classrooms to enrich and develop student knowledge and help them memorize multiplication facts.
Multiflyer
Students need lots of practice mastering their multiplication facts. In Multiflyer, a free online game from the Brainormous website, students are given multiplication facts up to 12 x 12. The game is set in outer space, and students move through missions as they try to make it all the way to Pluto. As students move through each level of the game, they get farther from the sun. Each level must be completed more quickly. Students may choose to have a grid to help them solve the problems during the game. However, they get more points if they answer without the grid. Each time students play the game, they try to get to Pluto faster.
Rollin' with the Facts
Teachers allow students to play games with classmates to help them master their multiplication facts. "Rollin' with the Facts" is a classroom game from the Learn With Math Games website. To play, student pairs need a set of number cards, as well as two pairs of dice of different colors. When students begin the game, they shuffle the cards and pass them out so each player has the same number of cards. Players set their cards in front of them face up. Each player rolls all four dice, and the student who has the lowest total will play first. She then rolls all four dice again. She looks at two of the dice with the same color and adds them together. This number will be the first factor. She does the same with the second pair of dice to get the second factor. After multiplying the two factors together, she looks to see whether she has the product of the two numbers. If she does, she flips that number card over and rolls again. Each player gets two rolls per turn. The first player to turn over all of her cards is declared the winner.
Multiplication War
Teachers allow students to play cards games to reinforce the learning of multiplication facts. "Multiplication War" is highlighted on the Education.com website. Student pairs begin the game with one deck of cards with the face cards removed. One player passes out all of the cards so each player has the same number of cards. Each player puts his cards into one upside-down pile. When they are ready, both players flip over their top cards. Whichever player shouts out the correct product of the two numbers gets to keep the two cards. When the deck is depleted, the player with the most "kept" cards is the winner.
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